


Paint It Black

by allourheroes



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Lightly Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Nail Polish, Trying to live your best life?, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-07-14
Packaged: 2019-06-10 02:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15281667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allourheroes/pseuds/allourheroes
Summary: When Stiles was fourteen, he bought a bottle of black nail polish.High school was a new start and why not start with a new Stiles? Or, at least, so he had intended. But then he had chickened out and the same old Stiles had won the day.Maybe now is the time for that new start.





	Paint It Black

**Author's Note:**

  * For [impalafortrenchcoats](https://archiveofourown.org/users/impalafortrenchcoats/gifts).



> Forgive my wholly unoriginal title (although it's a good song).
> 
> This got over 100 notes on tumblr, so I thought: What the hell? I'll post it to ao3.
> 
> Originally [here](http://allourheroes.tumblr.com/post/175482067054/) and prompted by impalafortrenchcoats, who likes to prompt "nail polish."

When Stiles was fourteen, he bought a bottle of black nail polish.

High school was a new start and why not start with a new Stiles? Or, at least, so he had intended. But then he had chickened out and the same old Stiles had won the day.

Stiles had completely forgotten about it but as he rustles through his desk drawer looking for a pen, he feels smooth glass and suddenly he’s holding it again: a little glass bottle of black.

In that moment, Stiles forgets his task. He stares at the bottle and, with a shrug, opens it. He crinkles his nose at the fumes. Experimentally, he paints his thumb nail. It’s so…shiny. But Stiles doesn’t stop there, he has all but a pinky painted when he hears his dad call his name for dinner and he realizes he hasn’t done any of his econ notes.

“Crap.” He paints his last finger anyway and runs down the stairs. He doesn’t like to keep his dad waiting, not when he knows now that waiting definitely means worrying.

“I like that we’re doing this whole…eating dinner together thing. If I’ve learned anything these past couple of years, it’s that we really need to communicate.” Stiles hums his agreement as he shovels food into his face but then his father is clearing his throat. “So…”

Stiles pauses and looks at his dad, who is looking at his hands.

“What’s with the nail polish?”

Stiles glances down and then laughs. “Uh. Just trying something different.”

And that’s the end of it.

~

Two days later and it’s chipped to hell but Stiles hasn’t bothered taking it off.

Scott is stressed and Derek is stressed and they’re doing that thing that led to them fighting half the time they met those first few months. Maybe there’s something in the air, but it’s too tense and Stiles is far too tired to deal with their pride.

He’s vaguely aware that the nail polish is there, but he doesn’t really think about it until he’s here and his fingers splay over Derek’s chest to keep him back. Black nails grasp Derek’s shirt and Stiles realizes he can do it.

Back when he had wanted to start over, he hadn’t known how. He hadn’t known what he wanted or how to go about getting it.

The notion had been vague and unattainable, just out of his reach like everything else.

He sees it clearly now, though: he can be new, he can be different.

He can be someone else entirely or just a changed version of himself.

He had been the nogitsune and he had been whatever everyone else forced him to be and maybe it’s time he chooses who he is.

“Derek.” He huffs and he thinks about all the things he’s wanted to say. All the things he never says, despite all the things he does. “I understand your opinion.” He shrugs and screws up his face. “And maybe you’re right. But you’re also just hot when you’re angry.”

Scott and Derek both scoff, so Stiles decides he’s in too deep to give it up now.

“Come on, Derek. Let’s work out some of that aggression.”

“Stiles,” Scott whispers urgently. “What are you doing? It sounds like you want to”--and he grimaces--“ _sleep with him_.”

Stiles laughs. It’s freeing, actually. “Oh, I definitely do. Have since that first time we met him. Because I have eyes.” He gives Derek a once-over now.

Derek is standing there like he isn’t sure what to do, his expression caught between frustration and something else.

Later, Stiles’s black nails dig into Derek’s back and he knows he never wants to go back to being who he was.


End file.
